Category Archives: Vegetarian

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Summer is just about here! And to celebrate the warmer weather, I like to take full advantage of the beautiful surrounds of St Francis Bay. The Cape St Francis beach is one of my favourite places to spend time, the sand always forms magical patterns and creates a fairytale atmosphere.

To celebrate the summer, I thought I would share one of my favourite easy and healthy lunch time dishes.

Mix the spinach, feta, mushrooms, nutmeg and dill together. Season to your liking.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
Place 1 tortilla onto the pan.
When warm, flip it over.
Sprinkle about half the Cheddar cheese evenly over the one side of the tortilla.
Top with the spinach mixture.
Add a little more cheese, fold over in half and press down lightly.
Cook until the bottom gets a little colour, flip over and let the other side also colour.
Slide onto a cutting board, using a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife, cut into 4.
Serve with a little side salad of your choice.

Being gluten free is a new concept to me, I am still finding my way around all the DO’s & DON’Ts of eating gluten free. I was taking part in a challenge and decided that I would dive deeper into the world of gluten free, but I really had to do my research as to what is classified as gluten…and what isn’t.

Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat, now this may sound devastating to most, however there are many acceptable substitutes for wheat. For example almond flour is fantastic as it has a low glycemic index and is a low-carbohydrate alternative to wheat flour. As I learn more and more about this lifestyle change, I will share the information. Until then, try my Gluten Free Dessert Pizza!

Mix the yeast into the tepid water. Add one tsp sugar and whisk, set aside to double in size.
In a bowl, combine the flour, cayenne pepper, baking powder, rest of the sugar, salt and olive oil. Mix until combined.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, pour the yeast mixture in and mix with a spoon. Remember this is gluten free so your dough will not be very stiff.
Lightly flour your work surface, top out the dough and knead until smooth, this won’t take long. There are no glutens to work so all you are looking for is a smooth dough.
Place the ball of dough into a greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Shape out the dough working with damp hands, bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Place the nectarines on a roasting try, drizzle olive oil over.
Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over, bruise thyme and spread over the nectarines
Roast for 30 minutes or until golden and sugar is caramelized. Remove the thyme stalks and set aside to cool completely.
Heat 70mls of cream and add the chocolate to the warm cream. Slowly melt, creating a Ganache glaze. (leave a little chocolate for garnishing)
Pour the Ganache over the cooled pizza base, place roasted nectarines on the surface, spreading it out.
Grate white chocolate over the top and place in the fridge for the glaze to set (about 30 minutes)

In celebration of Woman’s Day on 9th August, I thought I would share an INCREDIBLY easy cupcake recipe that you can use to spoil the lady in your life. So come on men, get creative and surprise the women in your lives with a special treat.

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Woman’s Day? It is in no way linked to another “Mother’s Day”. Woman’s Day commemorates the women who participated in a national march in protest against the passing of laws that pro­posed even fur­ther restric­tions on the move­ments of women. This year, we celebrate the 57th year of Woman’s Day.

Preheat the oven to 180°C
Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners
Cream the eggs and sugar together until the mixture turns pale yellow
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together
Add to sugar mixture
Mix the milk, oil and vanilla essence together.
Add to the batter
Fill up each cupcake cup ¾ way.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a skewer into the cupcake, if it comes out clean, it is cooked. If not, bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely before you ice it.

Sift the icing sugar.
Place the butter in a food processor and process until light and fluffy.
Add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time.
Add the lemon juice and food colouring.
Adjust the colour of the icing to your liking.
Ice the cupcakes before you serve.

I wanted to take this challenge to a whole new level and really show something innovative, without complicating the delicious simplicity of an avocado and more importantly, emphasizing the scrumptious flavour. I have to admit that when I was approached to do the “More than just guacamole!” Afrikado Blogger Challenge, I was stumped. I needed inspiration to hit, otherwise I would never be satisfied with my end product. Once I found it, I couldn’t stop myself!

I now look at avocados in a whole new light and I am inspired to create different dishes using this super healthy fruit. Avocados are packed with nutrients and heart-healthy compounds, and fantastic to eat if you want to lower cholesterol levels.

Place all the chilli coulis ingredients, except the water, into a thick based pot.
Pour water in, just covering the top of the mixture.
Cook the mixture over a low heat until it has reached a point that when you dip a cool teaspoon into the mixture, and lift it out, your mixture slowly drips off. When the drips join together in a sheet, instead of separate drops, the coulis is ready.
Remove and set aside to cool before using.

Please note that this is a blog challenge set up by The Squashed Tomato on behalf of ZZ2. I will be receiving a voucher to the value of R200 from Woolworths for taking part. The prize is a R2000 Woolworths shopping voucher and a hamper from ZZ2.

I am currently part of a few blog challenges, which keeps me rather busy, so I thought I would share what I have been up to.

This challenge is called Freshly Blogged – Frozen Assets.

We were given this…

And had to come up with something that would knock the socks off people…

My inspiration behind this challenge was Chanukkah.

Chanukkah came straight to mind when I saw the list of ingredients for this challenge. Memories of making latkes with the kids, during their Chanukkah celebrations, flooded back. Chanukkah is a Jewish holiday, known as the Festival of Lights / Feast of Dedication, where fried foods are eaten to honour the commemoration of the miracle of the oil burning for 8 days in the menorah, which was only suppose to burn for 1 day.

This is a time for family and friends to gather and share special times together whether cooking the dishes or enjoying them around the dinner table.

I love versatility, and this dish lends itself to it. Present these latkes at your dinner party as a canapé; or serve it at the beginning of a heavy wintery meal, or enjoy as a light lunchtime dish with a glass of Chenin Blanc.

Zest the orange and squeeze out the juice, keeping some of the pulp too.
Peel and slice half the pineapple into thin rings, removing the core. Slice the other half into thick chunks.

Mix sugar and water together, with the zest of the orange in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and let cook until a thick syrup is formed. Remove from heat.

On a dry surface, lay out a layer of phyllo pastry, brush the syrup over and place another layer on top. Repeat twice. Using a sharp knife, cut triangle shaped crisps, place on baking tray and bake for 5 – 7 minutes, just until golden brown. Before plating, brush the crisps with the orange glaze. Make as many crisp as you want as these are nice to snack on.

Place the frozen vegetables in a colander and pour a litre of boiling water over. Set aside and let the water drain.

Place the noodles in a mixing bowl, pour 2 cups of boiling water over the noodles, cover with cling wrap and set aside for about 3 – 4 minutes. Drain and sprinkle the Thai sweet chilli seasoning over the noodles.

Mix the noodles and vegetables together, with the garlic, ginger and dhania paste, add salt & pepper (season to taste), add half the orange juice and half the pulp. Set aside.

In a small pot, over a medium heat, add the olive oil and vegetable oil. Heat until the oil reaches 180°C.

While the oil is heating, add the pineapple chunks and left over orange juice into a blender, season and add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp sugar and a dash of the liquid from the garlic, ginger and dhania paste. Blitz until smooth. Set aside.

Using the vegetable and noodle mixture, a heaped tablespoon at a time, roll into balls; gently drop into the hot oil, careful not to splash yourself. Repeat with a few more balls at a time, careful not to overcrowd the pot. Work gentle with the balls, they are delicate. Cook until golden brown (about 7 – 10 minutes depending on size)

Brush a little olive oil over the pine apple pieces and grill, I used a skillet as I love char grilled look and flavour.

I have had a *slight* obsession with beetroot (again) these last few weeks. My poor husband has gone from not touching beetroot to tasting here and there, to thoroughly enjoying THIS dish to “enough with the beetroot…PLEASE!!!”

I have baked, roasted, pickled and juiced beetroot in all weird and wonderful ways, with all types of combinations. Out of all my experiments with beetroot, I have to say that, apart from beetroot juice, this Beetroot, Bacon & Goat’s Cheese Tarte Tatin was my favorite and will definitely make a reappearances on my dinner table.

Now…before we get right into the recipe, let’s examine why these little balls of red (sometimes yellow, sometimes white, sometimes stripped) happiness is so good for you.

The beetroot taste is described as sweet, earthy and tender to eat. It is grown in the ground and is related to turnips, swedes and sugar beet.

Researchers have known for some time that juice may help lower blood pressure, but in 2010 UK researchers revealed that nitrate is the special ingredient in beetroot which lowers blood pressure and may help to fight heart disease.

People with very high blood pressure can end up being on multiple tablets, so a more natural approach could prove popular if the initial research results are confirmed.

Drinking beetroot juice increases blood flow to the brain in older people, which may be able to fight the progression of dementia, a 2010 study suggested.

Beetroot contains high concentrations of nitrates, which are converted into nitrites by bacteria in the mouth. Nitrites help open blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen to places lacking in oxygen.

Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface, cut slightly bigger than the pan you using to bake the tarte tatin in.

Add sugar and butter to a small, non stick pan, place over medium, heat and let caramelize. Swirl around the pan to ensure the entire bottom of the pan is coated in caramelized sugar
Remove from heat, place beetroot rings over the bottom of the pan, creating a nice even layer.
Place the pieces of bacon over the beetroot, season with black pepper and sprinkle with thyme.
Cover with puff pastry, tucking in the sides so the puff pastry fits snug in the pan.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
While still hot, carefully flip the pastry onto a plate, top with goat’s cheese that is just roughly broken up and season with salt and black pepper.

Serve hot or cold.

I added a little onion marmalade, you can find the recipe here, and drizzled with balsamic reduction.

Breakfast, to me at least, is such a hassle. Not for the reasons you are thinking, for me it is not about time or creativity, or how long will it keep me full for…for me it’s about deciding what I want to eat that morning. Every morning is a challenge.

Do I want to be traditional and have eggs?
Do I want to pretend to myself that I am healthy and have a smoothie / juice?
Do I want to be boring and have toast?
Should I just have cereal, if I do, do I really want milk, should I use yogurt?

…all these questions go through my mind…and often I will just roll over and close my eyes, giving it a skip and have a cup of tea. But now, I am on a healthy eating operation. I will eat breakfast, I will exercise, I will make the right food choices and while doing all this…I will not be boring with my food.